- Hayden Panettiere claims that an “Oscar-winning actor and director” exposed himself to her when she was just 19 years old.
- The incident happened during a small party at a friend’s apartment in Los Feliz, California.
- The actress says she immediately felt uncomfortabl
Hayden Panettiere has shared a painful experience from her time in Hollywood in her new memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning. The actress claims that an “Oscar-winning actor and director” exposed himself to her when she was just 19 years old.
According to Panettiere, the incident happened during a small party at a friend's apartment in Los Feliz, California. She writes that the gathering included only a few men who were “talking, drinking, and smoking weed.”
The actress says she immediately felt uncomfortable. “These men seemed to be a little too comfortable together, like they knew something I didn't,” she writes.
Panettiere says she decided to leave after around 30 minutes. Before she walked out, the unnamed actor allegedly approached her and warned her to “be careful” because someone had spat gum on the floor and he had gotten some on his pants.
He then allegedly asked her to look down. “I looked down and recoiled,” Panettiere writes and adds, “This well-respected, award-winning actor's testicles were hanging out from his unzipped fly.”
The actress says the moment left her choked. According to her, “Men in Hollywood had always been kind and respectful” around her. But, as she says, “There may have been a peck on the lips here and an inappropriate comment there, but nothing had crossed a line.”
Elsewhere in the memoir, Panettiere also opens up about several personal struggles. She writes about her abusive relationship with ex-boyfriend Brian Hickerson, which involved multiple domestic violence incidents and arrests.
In her memoir, she also reflects on her past relationship with Milo Ventimiglia during their time on Heroes. The actress also recalls coming out as bisexual and talks about her difficult relationship with her mother, Lesley Vogel.
Meanwhile, Vogel, while speaking to Page Six, said she believes “the present drama is partially to sell books.”
“This Is Me: A Reckoning” is now out.
